A moratorium on data centers in Brownsville took effect Thursday. It pauses permits for "high-intensity data processing facilities" in the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction for 90 days. City commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to pass it. State law allows one 90-day extension.
The moratorium gives the Environmental and Conservation Task Force time to study how data centers could affect health, the environment and business in Brownsville. Mayor John Cowen Jr. said commissioners plan to extend the pause to the full 180 days allowed. He said the city wants to protect its water, electricity and resources, and to learn how other cities have regulated data centers. Cowen said the commission will consider any recommendations from the task force, including an outright ban, which he said is on the table.
City Attorney Will Treviño said data centers cannot apply for permits during the moratorium, and no applications are pending. He said the extension process would start in late December or early January. Treviño also said commissioners could ban data centers if the task force recommends it and commissioners agree. Discussion of a ban would begin before the moratorium ends.